With the new (gorgeous!) character and landscape art we’ve been putting up all over our site, we thought it would only be appropriate to allow you to get to know the amazing artist behind them: Bard and Lute!
Adam, of Bard and Lute, has been really easy to work with and has added so much beauty to our site. We never could have dreamed up our logo, and he perfectly captured each of our duet’s four main characters (happy Valentine’s Day to us!). He also managed to express the vibrancy and wonder of playing a duet in our landscape and banner images.
We love the way his minimalist style gives viewers a sense of the character while also leaving a lot up to the imagination! That balance between the feeling of a character and their fully realized being is part of what makes tabletop RPGs so interesting and engaging, and it’s so exciting to see that represented visually!
Without further ado, in his own words…@bardandlute.
About Me
I’m actually rather new to the world of D&D and started probably mid-2018 after edging my curiosity for two or so years.
I used to be a writer, and so fantasy has always captured my imagination, and the incredible worlds people have created for their D&D campaigns fascinate me. I never considered myself an “artist,” but I’ve been using various software for years as a Digital Marketing Manager, and so I enthusiastically created stylised artwork for my D&D party’s characters. That’s how I really started as a commission artist.
About the Art
The style is hard to describe but I guess ‘Saturated Minimalistic Vector Art’ is one (made-up) name for it. I’ve seen similar styles around, mainly in film poster/book cover designs, and they’ve provided a lot of inspiration. There’s a whole load of D&D artists out there, and the few that I’ve seen that are similar have a really fantastic stylised look. For me though, I felt like a lot of them look kinda ‘frumpy,’ and so I spend a lot of time trying to get the characters I create as accurately proportionate as I can.
Usually, I create character art for DM’s and D&D players which I love as it’s great to find out people’s amazing ideas and character concepts. I’ve also done landscape-based artwork with character silhouettes which look super nice as banner-type images.
Additionally, I’ve worked on other personal projects such as logos (for dndduet!) and labels and the like. So I’m always up for working on special projects.
About Bobbie, My PC
Bobbie Millions is my first and still-surviving D&D character (knock on wood!). He’s a halfling bard—yes, I’m the bard. I think his character accurately paints the best picture of me (just without the endless seduction and arousal by anything that does – or doesn’t – breathe).
Costs
Character art usually sits at £30-£35 ($40 – $45) per character although I usually discount for orders of more than one character at a time. I most often will be able to get a character card done within a week of receiving descriptions, but this can take up to a maximum of three weeks.
Landscape art depends completely on complexity but will usually be around £40 ($50).
For any special requests, feel free to contact me and I’ll quote you then.
I take all payments before I start the work unless there is a large order, in which case I take half before starting and half as I deliver. All payments are made through Paypal so it’s safe for everyone involved.
How to Commission Me!
Follow me on Instagram @bardandlute and send me a message on there! Not on Instagram? You can also contact me via Twitter @BardandL!
If you’re a social media-phobe don’t worry, feel free to send me an email.
Steps of the Commission Process
- Contact me with your request
- I’ll tell you the price and send over the invoice
- You can make the payment and send over character description(s) with as much detail as you like
- I create the art and send it over to via email
So there you have it! We think his art speaks for itself, and we love the uniqueness of his style in a community that is already so filled with incredible and gifted artists.
Our characters are such a huge part of what makes our games and beautiful hobby so unique. Interacting with them in a different medium, such as a visual representation instead of verbal, can help make them even more vibrant, unique, and multi-dimensional. So, grab your Pinterest board, find some pictures that feel right, and get in touch with an artist!
Since our original publication of this post, Adam has started his own Etsy page with multiple minimalist D&D and fantasy art prints. Check out his Etsy shop here!
If you like what you’re reading, please consider supporting the blog by purchasing our adventures and supplements in our shop or sponsoring us on Patreon. We appreciate you so much! Thank you for joining us on this adventure! – Beth and Jonathan
We’d love to hear your thoughts and questions!